“Voltaic Overcharge!” Zydel shouts.
My ability is more than just using some boorish lightning. By stimulating my legs, I can move fast like a cheetah. But, by focusing on my larger muscle groups exclusively, I can gain explosive power like that of a tiger. Zydel thinks.
Zydels electricity begins to surge all over his body and begins to change color from green to a bright red. After changing color, the lightning begins to surge to his arms forming in the shape of a tiger’s head on each fist. This all happens in an instant. He grabs Seiren’s shoulders with his lightning digging into Seiren’s body, he is unable to move.
“Better grit your teeth, this is gonna hurt!” Zydel shouts.
His body begins to surge with red electricity at an extreme rate and gather at the center of his chest as if he was charging a large-scale attack. Seiren attempts to move his body but to no avail. The electricity causes severe muscle spasms throughout his whole body accompanied by immense pain each time he tries to move. When all hope is lost, Seiren notices a shadowy figure behind Zydel. With a glint in their eye, they raise a large rock with both hands and with the sharper end, rams it into the back of his neck. Zydel pauses and his electricity fades away along with his consciousness. Seiren retracts his spear and steps to the side, as Zydel falls forward onto the ground. Seiren looks at Mera with a surprised look.
“What? Did you expect me to wait for you two to finish up?” She questions.
Something definitely feels wrong with this victory, but I can’t complain. Seiren thinks. I still have a lot to improve on, like my speed.
This first match was a little goofy, but things are probably gonna start getting a lot harder for us as we continue. We lack tactics, but worst of all we lack… Mera begins to think as she looks over at Seiren who appears to be struggling to move.
She sighs.
“Hang on.” She says to him before walking over. “Just ask if you need help.”
She puts Seiren’s arm around her as they exit the arena. The demons guide them back to the same cell they were in before. She sets Seiren down as she lets out a sigh. Seiren notices Maya looking at him through the bars.
“How was the match?” She asks.
“We won.” He says.
“Good job.” The woman says. A sort of smile appears on her face for a split second. It nearly vanishes before Seiren could catch it.
The woman stares at the ceiling as if doing some deep reflection.
“The two of you reminded me of myself when I first got here.” She explains. “Lost and confused. Yet determined to survive. You see, this place builds you to break, and the cycle continues over and over until you can no longer build yourself up.”
Seiren and Mera silently listen.
Hearing her talk like this… It makes me feel bad for her. Even so… Mera thinks.
“Sorry, but even after what you just said I can’t bring myself to trust you.” She says.
“Don’t apologize. Trust is one thing that shouldn’t be given so easily, especially in a place like this.” She says.
“Seiren seems to have grown an interest in you, and has been talking to you more than he has to his partner.” Mera says, passing a glare over to him. “Why have you been so interested in her?”
Seiren scratches his left cheek. He remains silent for a while, placing a hand to his chin to think.
“I hadn’t thought of the reason until now,” Seiren says.
“Really now,” Mera says, placing her hands on her hips. “What’s the reason.”
Is she mad? Seiren thinks.
“I guess, she feels like the closest reference I have to what my mom’s reaction will be when she realizes I’m gone,” Seiren admits.
“That's it?” Mera says.
“That’s it. Seeing her like this is a big motivator, and she’s also reminding me of why I keep pushing forward.” Seiren says. “No offense.”
The woman smiles at his words.
“None taken.” She says. “So you’re trying to get back to your mother. It’s quite admirable.”
“I apologize,” Mera says. “I wasn’t trying to pressure you or anything. I was just curious as to why my partner who barely communicated with me in fights suddenly became a chatterbox with a random raggedy lady. Oh, no offense though.”
“Right…” The woman says, taking a look at her outfit.
Well, she’s right. That is a blunder on my part. It's difficult talking to Mera, yet it's easier talking to this woman. I have absolutely no clue. All I can do is try to work on communicating with her more. Seiren says.
“Sorry about that. I’ll… Work on communicating with you more.” Seiren says.
“Good.” She says.
The woman starts chuckling a bit, surprising Seiren and Mera.
“You two are a good duo. At the very least you trust one another enough to share your feelings.” The woman says.
“Pssh… I wouldn’t say it's gotten that far.” Mera says with a few exaggerated poses.
Don’t downplay it now. Seiren thinks.
“My name is Maya.” She says. “I guess I’ve officially introduced myself to you two now.”
“If you don’t mind, could you tell us why you’re locked up in here?” Mera asks.
Maya remains silent for a few moments, holding a small golden ring in her hands. She continues to roll it between her index finger and thumb.
“With my fiance and two others we befriended here, we fought through the layers of hell. For a time things were hopeful, but things quickly changed as we advanced. We found ourselves outclassed and by a stroke of misfortune, my fiance sacrificed herself to save me.” Maya explains.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I can only imagine the pain you’ve been through since that time.” Mera says.
“Thank you. Ever since then, I’ve been trapped here, I’ve gotten so weak, now that I couldn’t break these chains if I wanted to.” She says.
“There’s a reason why your fiance saved you.” Seiren says as he rises to his feet.
“How could you know something like that?” Mera questions, turning to Seiren.
“I appreciate your positivity, but what do you know about love and sacrifice?” Maya asks.
“Maybe this isn’t the same at all, but… My mother sacrificed everything in order to raise me up. Ever since my father died, she raised me by herself and worked herself to the bone, just so I’d have a good life. I’d only realized it after I grew up that all the nice things I had were given to me through her sacrifice of time and health. When I came to that realization, it gave me such a huge amount of respect for her. There’s no one I respect more than her.” Seiren says. “I think that your fiance saved you because she loved and believed in you.”
Caught off guard by his words, Mera sat speechlessly. Maya sat in silence and simply turned away from them. Before anything else could be said, the demon appeared again at the gate, urging Seiren and Mera to exit.
“Let’s go for now.” Mera says as they both take their exits.
Maya watches from the corner of her eye as they both leave and lets out a sigh.
If what he said had any truth to it, then what have I been doing for all this time? Maya thinks.
“Looks like the silent executioner is quite talkative after all.” A voice says from the darkness, leading from deeper into the colosseum.
“What do you want?” Maya says. “I’m not in a very good mood.”
The advocate steps out from the darkness to the front of her cell.
“We’re steadily approaching the finals, which means your assistance will be needed again.” He says, leaning up against the bars.
“Demons like you are a pain. Always afraid of getting their own hands dirty. It’s a wonder how you became an advocate in the first place.” Maya says.
“It’s because even with all this muscle I can be quite cunning. Plus, everyone here has grown quite fond of your executions.” He says. He unlocks Maya’s cage, and she walks out, giving him a glare. He directs her toward the darkness as she begins walking.
I’ll never be able to escape from these feelings and this layer. I just have to get through this moment. That's right Maya, just block it all out. She thinks to herself like a mantra and her pupils begin to appear glazed over.
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